Behavior Modification Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, assessments, conditioning models, and ethical considerations from the lecture notes.

Dead Person Test

A rule of thumb for defining behavior stating that if a dead person can do it, it is not a behavior ("Dead people do not behave").

Dimensions of Behavior

Measurable characteristics of behavior, specified in the notes as Duration, Frequency, Intensity, and Latency.

Behavioral Deficit

A lack or insufficient amount of a particular target behavior, requiring acquisition.

Behavioral Excess

An overabundance of a particular target behavior, requiring reduction.

Characteristics of Behavior Modification

The core characteristics of behavior modification, listed as Applied, Behavioral, Analytic, Technological, Conceptually systematic, and Effective.

Behavioral Assessment

The identification and description of target behaviors, identification of possible causes, selection of appropriate treatment, and functional analysis.

The Behavioral Equation

A diagram illustrating Antecedent (A), Behavior (B), and Consequence (C), demonstrating that the function of a behavior is determined by the consequences that follow it.

Pavlovian Conditioning

Also known as respondent or classical conditioning; involves automatic responses to prior stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

Also known as instrumental conditioning; learning where behavior is modified by its consequences through reinforcement or punishment.

Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)

The scientific branch of behavior analysis focused on basic research.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

The practical branch of behavior analysis focused on applied research, formally defined by Baer, Wolf, & Risley (1968).

Single-Subject ABAB Baseline Graph

A line graph plotting student response counts across sequential Baseline and Treatment sessions.

Misconceptions About Behavior Modification

Common myths including that the use of rewards is bribery, that behavior modifiers deny genetics, and that behavior modification is outdated.

Ethical Considerations in ABA

Key ethical standards including therapist qualifications, proper definition of problem behaviors, selection of appropriate treatment, and ongoing evaluation through record keeping.

DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

A psychiatric classification framework (ranging from DSM-I in 1952 to DSM-5 in 2013) to which behavioral assessment emerged as an alternative in the 1960s.